Feelings about D&D 4th Edition??

Looking for initial feelings here, after watching the clips of presentations given regarding 4th Edition D&D coming out next year.

I own 3rd edition ,3.0, and will NOT buy this edition I didn't buy 3.5 and I'm not spending more money than I have on DnD. Ever again.

I'm still playing 2nd ed! I haven't bought anything new since Wizards of the coast took over - money grabbing company!

Eh. I stopped playing D&D at about the time 3.0 was coming out. I never really transitioned from AD&D 1st to r2 although I did pick up quite a few of the splat books. I think it was one of the reasons I stopped. I'd picked up the fourth Magical Encyclopedia and realized it was a money pit especially since most of the players I knew had moved on to computer gaming, C&C: Red Alert mainly and Starcraft.

Now I'm running Shadowrun, a few Paranoia sessions and am trying to get some folks together to play some old school games like Car Wars, Talisman, and like that.

Carl

I think it will be better than 3rd edition, design-wise, and probably gameplay-wise, too.

It is unlikely that I will throw cash into it, mind. I play little D&D these days.

There are a lot to like about DnD4E. It has been hinted that there will be some kind of social combat system. Anything is better then what we have now.

Traps have been redone. and Encounters are redone. I am looking forward to it. Although, Burning Wheel does everything I need.

Burning Wheel is excellent for games with drama and character-driven story. D&D's good for killing things and taking their stuff in the context of an interesting story or world.

Different games for different purposes.

I'm pretty excited about DnD 4th Edition.

Maybe it's just because I started DnD at 3.5, but I like a lot of the changes that I'm seeing. They seem to be moving towards a more action-oriented combat system - removing iterative attacks, getting rid of spell memorizaiton, etc.

I'm really interested in the "dialogue combat." In my opinion, there is in general (across most systems) a real lack for determining how socially acclimated a PC is... and if there is one, really only one PC gets to do the talking. Now it seems that every PC will have a part to play in a dialogue session.

And to answer the criticism of buying new books... I've only ever bought the basic 3 books, Unearthed Arcana, and Spell Compendium. Everything else I generate myself.

And please, if THAC0 isn't the most complicated game concept ever... some of you out there need to get with the times and out of your mother's basements.

Well about the last post you are a new player, I've played every edition of the DnD system from the Chianmail rules supplement to 3.5 so I agree on one point the THAC0 system was stupid that is the one thing they did right in DnD 3.0. And I admit the combat system is better. And saving throws were improved and the general combat system.

But take "dialogue combat" do we really want role-playing defined by rules the one strength of the game that is left? I don't.

You want a proper game system that is not commercial, has core rules that can be adapted as the GM wishes with whatever house and optional rules they wish, uses a more up to date combat system and classic simplicity. Check out my favorite fantasy game and the only one I run and prefer to play: The rules are free to print up and if you want to buy a rulebook you can they are cheap enough.

The Basic Fantasy RPG Official Web Site

There is no reason a fantasy game has to be more complicated than this.

When I first heard about 4thed I let a stream of profanity into the world. I am not happy not happy at ALL. I was a DEDICATED 2nd ed gamer and it took a great deal of convincing me to accept 3.5. I now enjoy 3.5 and appreciate it's existance, but 4thed is far, far, FAR too soon. WOTC is murdering this hobby, my best evidence is the cancelations of Dungeon and Dragon magazienes, but their allowing WIZkids to handel Shadowrun is just as sharp a slap in the face.

All that I'm hoping for for 4th Edition is just a bit of streamlining and a crapload of bug fixes. Things at the top of my list for `hope they get it right this time` - fixing the fire and forget Vancian casting system, changing the Counterspell rules to use Immediate actions, streamlining the grapple rules, fixing the one base feats per 3 levels (there's over 10,000+ available feats and less than 10 level based feat slots - doesn't seem right), fixing the no initial FORT save against energy drain effects. On a more personal note, I hope they incorporate an inclusion for some sort of ritual casting rules.

It will be the complete book of lack of innovation.

4th edtion looks good but all those 3.5 books. A few friends of mine have a ton of 3.5 books and I feel bad for them when 4th comes out becuase now they wil have a spend more money on 4th. I bet they easily have over 3 thousand dallors invested in 3.5 edtion.